This invention relates to a fiber bale opener for removing fiber tufts from the top face of fiber bales. The fiber bale opener comprises at least one detaching (opening) roll which is mounted in a back-and-forth travelling housing. The detached fiber tufts are removed by a suction device from the zone of the opening roll.
In conventional fiber bale openers, fiber material which is not drawn away by the suction device, may drop to the floor laterally of the bales. Risks are considerable that such fiber material is, during operation, drawn in by the opening device and may cause clogging thereof. On the other hand, any fiber material which remains on the floor has to be eventually manually removed which is a labor-intensive operation.